Bowers Tops ESPN's 2026 Tight End Rankings
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- Brock Bowers repeated as the No. 1 tight end in ESPN's annual survey despite an injury-marred second season with the Raiders (64 catches, 680 yards, 7 TDs in 12 games), earning praise as the best route-runner and zone-read player in the field.
- Trey McBride jumped to No. 2 after setting the single-season tight end catches record with 126 receptions for the Cardinals in 2025, earning more than 30% of first-place votes and a top-three nod from all but two voters.
- George Kittle landed at No. 3 at age 32 — with one NFC executive calling him "still the gold standard for blocking, running and catching" — though a late-season Achilles tear raises Week 1 availability questions for the 49ers.
- Six of the top 10 are age 25 or younger, and the NFC North placed three players in the top seven (LaPorta at 4, Kraft at 6, Loveland at 7), highlighting the division's youth movement at the position.
- Tucker Kraft (Packers) debuted at No. 6 after a Week 9 ACL tear derailed a season pacing for 1,000-plus yards and 10 touchdowns, while rookie Tyler Warren (Colts) entered at No. 5 with 817 receiving yards and just one drop on 111 targets.
- Kyle Pitts Sr. (Falcons) reappeared on the list at No. 8 with a 166-yard, three-touchdown game against Tampa Bay — just the fifth 150-and-3 tight end performance since the 1970 NFL merger.
- Mark Andrews (Ravens) fell to No. 9 after a career-low 422 receiving yards, though Baltimore's three-year, $39.2 million extension signals the organization still views him as a long-term piece.
Why it matters: The ranking documents how the tight end position has evolved into a primary pass-catching weapon, evidenced by McBride's unprecedented 126-catch season and the NFC North placing three of the top seven — a concentration that reflects how aggressively teams are now drafting and deploying young, versatile tight ends.
